I've been living in in this neighborhood my whole life; it's large neighborhood that's even larger on TV. All sorts of crimes happen here. Pick pocketing, burglary, carjacking, you name it. That's the way it's always been. You've gotta be smart to get by here. Don't trust anyone and never let your guard down. That's what the innocent people here have to remember if they don't want to end up getting scammed, hurt, or something.

Or at least, that's how it used to be. Ever since Kira appeared, crime has dramatically decreased. It makes things a lot easier for people like me. Sure, we still have the highest crime rate out of all the neighborhoods in this large city we live in, but we don't have to worry that much anymore. For instance, there'd been a bunch of burglaries going on lately, and one guy who was robbed was beaten up badly, too. We all knew who did it: Watanabe Ichiro. The problem was that he kept getting away. The cops showed his picture on TV, saying that if anyone had information on him or his whereabouts, they should call the number on the screen. Sure enough, Watanabe was found dead in some old shanty soon after; of a heart attack, nonetheless.

A lot of people here love Kira since he's cleaned up the neighborhood, and others hate him. Personally, he makes me sick.

I was taking a walk with my friend, Shiori. It was fall, and there was a nice, cool breeze brushing my hair against my face. I listened to my surroundings: a barking dog, the laughter of children, and the soft ring of a police siren in the distance.

"Hey, you know that shoplifter they recently caught?" Shiori asked.

I put my finger on my lip and sifted through my memories. Though they were less common now, shoplifter's were by no means a rarity here. It took me a good thirty seconds before I was finally able to recall the most recent arrest. "Ah, that twenty-something woman who'd been on a spree? What was her name... Tsuchiya Noriko?"

"Tsuchida Sumiko," she corrected me, "but yeah, that's the one. Well, I was reading the regional paper, and apparently, she died of a heart attack."

"I'm not surprised. It was probably that bastard, Kira, again."

Shiori glared at me; she was a Kira supporter. "Amaya, Kira keeps us safe; he wants what's best for us."

I sighed, already regretting my comment. If there's one thing I hated, it was the seemingly age-old Kira debate. But with that comment of mine, I had already walked knee-deep into it. "I know, but killing? These people committed some serious crimes, I'll admit that, but Shiori, Kira's taking lives. How is what he's doing any better, if not worse, in some cases?"

Shiori's eyes softened. "I can see why you'd think that, but look around! Kira's changing the world for the better.
"Listen, I'm going to a gathering on Kira; we're going to talk about him and his deeds." She made it sound like murder was a good thing. "It's going to be broadcast on Sakura TV."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course it is; those people will do anything for views.

"You should come with me, and then maybe you'll get a better grasp of things and understand why Kira is good. Please?" That was doubtful.

I sighed. Let's face it, once Shiori puts her mind to something there's no stopping her. "Fine, I'll go with you.

"Yay!" she cheered. I rolled my eyes; her peppiness really got on my nerves at times.

We walked by a small playground where children were playing and laughing. Before Kira came, the children never played outside because it was too dangerous. I saw two young girls clapping hands and singing, their little game akin to Pat-a-cake. Some kids in the neighborhood created the game soon after Kira had shown up, and it caught on pretty quickly. I stopped walking, and I watched them, listening to part of the little song they sang:

Kira is a killer

You had best behave

Because if you commit a sin

He'll send you to your grave

"Amaya, are you coming?" asked Shiori, who was already a couple yards ahead of me. I nodded, looked back at the children, and then ran to catch up with my friend. The world was at peace, at the cost of countless lives. It was a dream come true for Kira and many others.

As for me, it was a nightmare.